Sunnyside station (New York City)

Sunnyside is a proposed commuter rail station to be served by the Long Island Rail Road and the Metro-North Railroad. Located in the Sunnyside neighborhood of Queens, New York, the station would be located within the City Terminal Zone. The proposed location of the station is at Queens Boulevard and Skillman Avenue.[1][2]

Sunnyside
General information
LocationQueens Boulevard
and Skillman Avenue
Sunnyside, Queens, New York
Coordinates40°44′47″N 73°56′07″W / 40.7464°N 73.9353°W / 40.7464; -73.9353
Owned byLong Island Rail Road
Line(s)Northeast Corridor
Platforms1 island platform
2 side platforms
Tracks9
ConnectionsNew York City Subway:
"E" train"M" train"R" train trains at Queens Plaza
"7" train train at 33rd Street – Rawson Street
"7" train"7" express train​​"N" train"W" train trains at Queensboro Plaza
Construction
AccessibleYes
Other information
Fare zone1
Proposed Services
Preceding station Long Island Rail Road Following station
Penn Station
toward
City Terminal Zone Woodside
toward
Preceding station Metro-North Railroad Following station
Penn Station
Terminus
New Haven Line Hunts Point
toward Stamford

History

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Original station

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In the late 19th century, the LIRR had another Sunnyside Station, which was built by their subsidiary Newtown and Flushing Railroad, better known as the "White Line." This short-lived line was designed to compete with the Flushing and North Side Railroad in 1873. When the F&NS was consolidated into the LIRR, along with the Central Railroad of Long Island and South Side Railroad of Long Island, the White Line was dissolved, along with the original Sunnyside station.

Proposed station

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Though no direct connection to other mass transit services are known, the nearest existing subway stations are at 33rd Street–Rawson Street on the IRT Flushing Line (7 train), Queensboro Plaza on the IRT Flushing Line and BMT Astoria Line (7, <7>​​, N and ​W trains), and Queens Plaza on the IND Queens Boulevard Line (E, ​M, and ​R trains).

Construction for the station was deemed to be impossible until East Side Access was completed, as the yard was being redeveloped at the time.[3] The station is classified as a high priority under the Sunnyside Yard Master Plan.[4]

The MTA later proposed in their 2025-2044 20-year needs assessment that Sunnyside station serve both the LIRR and the Metro-North Railroad, with the latter providing service to Penn Station after Penn Station Access is completed.[5]

Proposed station layout

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This station will have three high-level platforms, with one island platform and two side platforms.

References

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  1. ^ "Chapter 2: Project Alternatives" (PDF format). East Side Access – Final Environmental Impact Statement. Federal Transit Administration and the Metropolitan Transportation Authority of the State of New York, in cooperation with the MTA Long Island Rail Road. March 2001. pp. 2–20:2–21. Retrieved February 15, 2008. The station's main entrance would be at street level on the west side of the Queens Boulevard bridge near its Skillman Avenue end, directly above the center platform.
  2. ^ Revenboer, Stefan (October 24, 2022). "The new Grand Central LIRR service will bypass Sunnyside, Queens". Local News Today.
  3. ^ Kaufman, Maya (February 11, 2019). "Queens Officials Renew Call For Sunnyside LIRR Station". Queens, NY Patch. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  4. ^ Kully, Sadef Ali (March 10, 2020). "Immediate Steps Seen for Sunnyside Development Plan". City Limits. Retrieved June 15, 2020.
  5. ^ "MTA's 2025-2044 20-Year Needs Assessment". Retrieved July 28, 2022.